Premier League - Paper Round: Reus dreams of United move

Marco Reus is keen on leaving Borussia Dortmund to join Manchester United this summer; Draxler's Arsenal move is in doubt; and David Moyes is in Portugal to check on a trio of players - the top stories from the morning’s papers.

‘Reus wants to move to Old Trafford’: The Daily Star reports that Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marco Reus is desperate to join Manchester United, according to the player’s former teammate Mario Goetze. Goetze now currently plays for reigning German and European champions Bayern Munich, but has revealed that his former Borussia teammate would be keen on a move to England. “When I was at Borussia, Marco wanted a move to Manchester United. This hasn't changed," Goezte said. Reus is one of the most exciting talents in European football and almost helped his side do the unthinkable and recover from 3-0 down in the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid. The attacking midfielder netted twice in the second leg to seal a 2-0 victory, though the Germans fell one goal shy of a miraculous result. Regardless, Reus is firmly on Manchester United manager David Moyes’ wishlist and will be boosted by Goetze’s statement.

Paper round’s view: Dortmund have built a reputation in Germany as a bit of a feeder club. Either their up-and-coming stars that have advanced through the Bundesliga outfit’s impressive youth system, or big names often seek a move elsewhere. The likes of Goetze and Robert Lewandowski come to mind, with the former transferring to Bayern Munich in 2013 and the latter have already agreed to same move when his contract expires in the summer. So it comes as no surprise that Reus is seeking a move elsewhere. It is a surprise, however, that the German is keen on a move to Old Trafford. As Goetze said, his former teammate may have wanted a move to Old Trafford when they played together, but Reus has changed his mind now, surely?!

Draxler’s Arsenal move ‘almost impossible’: Arsenal’s hopes of signing Julian Draxler this summer look to be all but over after the player’s agent is quoted in the Express as saying his client is highly unlikely to leave Schalke in the summer. The 20-year-old was heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium in January, though nothing came of it. However, it is believed that Arsene Wenger is still keen on acquiring the player’s signature as he looks to bolster his squad over the summer months following yet another Premier League campaign that has tailed off disappointingly. But it looks like Arsenal are set to miss out on their target after Draxler’s agent Roger Wittman declared that Schalke are keen to keep hold of their man.

Paper round’s view: Football agents tend to do a lot of talking around this time of year, and it is usually to try and either push their client’s value up (for completely selfish reasons, of course) or to try and get their client a new contract. Draxler’s contract at Schalke is up at the end of the 2014/15 season, so Wittman could well be pushing for a new deal. However, the agent could well be speaking a bit of truth, as his sentiments are echoed by Schalke chairman Clemens Torries, who said: "If nothing extraordinary happens, Julian will stay with us. I am convinced that he will play even longer than this one next season at Schalke. Then we will see"

Moyes flies to Portugal to ‘check on trio’: Manchester United boss David Moyes flew to Portugal to check on the form of three summer transfer targets, according to the Daily Mail. Moyes is believed to have been watching Porto centre-half Eliaquim Mangala, his team-mate Jackson Martinez, who plays as a striker, and Benfica left-back Guilherme Siqueira, who is currently on loan from La Liga outfit Granada. The United boss will reportedly be handed a £200 million transfer kitty and is eyeing up his targets as early as possible. Managala is also being watched by United’s rivals Manchester City, which is why the Scot visited Portugal in order to try and beat the Citizens to his signature.

Paper round’s view: After the disaster of last year’s summer window, Moyes is smart to be trying to tie up deals as early as possible. In what became a rather embarrassing situation, Moyes missed out on a number of high-profile targets – including Cesc Fabregas and Thiago Alcantara – in a very public manner and the Scot cannot risk the same fate this year. The reported £200 million war chest will surely suffice as Moyes looks to overhaul his ageing United squad – should he still be in charge at Old Trafford – but it is just a case of whether his supposed transfer targets will want to join a club that will not be competing in Europe’s premier club competitions.

West Ham to rescue City outcast Lescott: West Ham look set to reignite their interest in out-of-favour Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott in the summer, according to the Mirror. The Hammers moved for Lescott back in January, but were rebuffed with the England international hoping to be part of a City side chasing a historic quadruple. Lescott will not be offered a new deal at the Etihad and is insisting on leaving on a Bosman, with first-team football high on the player’s agenda. The former Wolves and Everton defender will reportedly take a pay cut when he leaves City – accepting less than his £90,000-a-week salary – which will please the West Ham board.

Paper round’s view: Lescott would be an exciting and effective signing for West Ham, with the defender bringing in much-needed experience as Sam Allardyce looks to take the Hammers onto the next level following a number of seasons battling it out for Premier League survival. Lescott has international experience under his belt and has won a host of honours during his time with City and could be the man help lead West Ham further up the table. However, they could face a battle for his signature, with Turkish outfit Besiktas reportedly willing to offer him over and above his current salary to join.